Written Answers Friday 23 January 2009

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16417 by Richard Lochhead on 1 October 2008 and in light of the European Parliament’s vote in support of new pesticides legislation, how this new legislation, if implemented, will affect the Scottish farming industry.

Richard Lochhead: The new legislation could adversely affect Scottish crop yields if certain pesticides were no longer available. However, it is not possible at this stage to determine whether the potential impact will actually be felt. This is because decisions will only be taken as individual products are assessed for re-authorisation when their current authorisations expire. This process will take some years, and the decisions will depend, among other things, on whether by that stage alternative products are available.

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether there is scientific evidence to support the introduction of the proposed new EU legislation on pesticides.

Richard Lochhead: Scientific work by the Pesticides Safety Directorate on behalf of the Scottish Government and other UK authorities suggested that a number of pesticide active ingredients, for which there is no conclusive evidence of a risk to human or animal health or to the environment, could nonetheless eventually be banned under the new legislation.

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make representations to the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council regarding the proposed new EU legislation on pesticides.

Richard Lochhead: The Council of Ministers has finalised its position on the proposals, after a prolonged period of negotiation during which the Scottish Government made active representations, including in collaboration with the UK authorities. However, the impact of the new rules will not be felt immediately. Rather, substances will be assessed over the next few years as they come up for review at the end of their approval under the existing authorisation regime. We will lobby the commission so that, when these decisions are taken, they are proportionate and take account of the impact on Scottish agriculture and on food production in general.

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will to take to assist the farming industry in sourcing alternative pesticides if the new pesticides legislation agreed by the European Parliament on 13 January 2009 is agreed by the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

Richard Lochhead: Development of new pesticides is primarily a matter for the companies concerned. It is not yet known whether currently-available pesticides will become unavailable in future.

Animal Welfare

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16437 by Richard Lochhead on 1 October 2008, whether the revised draft regulations on the licensing of dealers in puppies and kittens have been laid before Parliament and, if not, when it expects them to be laid.

Richard Lochhead: I expect to lay draft regulations on the licensing of dealers in puppies and kittens before Parliament by the end of January 2009.

Animal Welfare

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) pig, (b) sheep, (c) dairy cattle, (d) beef cattle, (e) poultry (broiler chickens, ducks and turkeys), (f) laying hen and (g) other farmed animal units underwent farm animal welfare inspections by Animal Health in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008, also expressed as a percentage of each category.

Richard Lochhead: Details of animal welfare inspections undertaken in Scotland by Animal Health are given in the following table:

  

 2007
 Pig
 Sheep
 Dairy Cattle
 Beef Cattle
 Poultry
 Laying Hens
 Others


 Number
 79
 345
 36
 338
 49
 35
 18


 %
 11
 2
 1.7
 3.4
 2.6
 4.2
 *



  

 2008
 Pig
 Sheep
 Dairy Cattle
 Beef Cattle
 Poultry
 Laying Hens
 Others


 Number
 106
 437
 84
 421
 39
 42
 31


 %
 15
 3
 4.1
 4.2
 2
 5.1
 *



  Note: *As there is no requirement for many of the other types of livestock to register, accurate figures for the number of holdings are not available, therefore it is not possible to give a percentage.

Animal Welfare

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many farm animal welfare inspections undertaken by Animal Health on (a) pig, (b) sheep, (c) dairy cattle, (d) beef cattle, (e) poultry (broiler chickens, ducks and turkeys), (f) laying hen and (g) other farmed animal units were for (i) monitoring compliance with EU animal welfare regulations, (ii) assessing cross-compliance for single farm payments, (iii) investigating complaints about animal welfare and (iv) any other purpose in (A) 2007 and (B) 2008.

Richard Lochhead: Details of animal welfare inspections undertaken in Scotland by Animal Health are given in the following table:

  

 2007
 Pig
 Sheep
 Dairy Cattle
 Beef Cattle
 Poultry
 Laying Hens
 Others


 SFP Cross Compliance
 15
 122
 12
 117
 4
 5
 3


 Complaints
 10
 86
 10
 59
 0
 6
 2


 Other 
 54
 137
 14
 162
 45
 24
 13


 Total
 79
 345
 36
 338
 49
 35
 18



  

 2008
 Pig
 Sheep
 Dairy Cattle
 Beef Cattle
 Poultry
 Laying Hens
 Others


 SFP Cross Compliance
 20
 130
 47
 150
 7
 8
 5


 Complaints
 5
 65
 7
 45
 2
 2
 0


 Other 
 81
 242
 30
 17
 30
 32
 26


 Total
 106
 437
 84
 421
 39
 42
 31



  All welfare inspections involve an assessment of compliance with EU welfare legislation.

Animals

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many animals have been imported into Scotland from mainland Europe since October 2008, broken down by species.

Richard Lochhead: In total 382 live animals were imported into Scotland from mainland Europe during the period 1 October to 31 December 2008. No figures are currently available for 2009. The following table details the imports by species.

  

 Species
 Total Number


 Horses
 49


 Pigs (Mini-pigs for research)
 41


Other Mammals(includes ungulates, primates and rodents)
 284


 Poultry/Birds
 8


 Total
 382

Communities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the planned date is for holding IslamFest, which the Scottish Islamic Foundation was granted funding to organise.

Fergus Ewing: The finance conference element of IslamFest will be held in June 2009. The Scottish Islamic Foundation is currently in discussion with local authorities and communities across Scotland regarding the delivery of further IslamFest events. Details of the dates and activities will be announced by the Scottish Islamic Foundation in due course.

Culture

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list meetings that it has had with representatives of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama since May 2007, broken down by date and location.

Fiona Hyslop: Our records show that the following meetings with representatives of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) have taken place since May 2007:

  

 Date
 Location


 21 August 2007
 Edinburgh


 25 September 2007
 Glasgow


 5 October 2007
 Glasgow


 24 October 2007
 Edinburgh


 17 January 2008
 Edinburgh


 5 February 2008
 Edinburgh


 6 February 2008
 Edinburgh


 19 March 2008
 Edinburgh


 28 April 2008
 Edinburgh


 22 May 2008
 Edinburgh


 24 June 2008
 Edinburgh


 16 January 2009
 Glasgow

Disabled People

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that disabled people are consulted when the services that they use are being put out to tender.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-18864 on 8 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Drug Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per day is of administering a drug treatment and testing order.

Fergus Ewing: The 12 months average cost of administering a drug treatment and testing order in the 2007-08 financial year was £12,205. The nature of the service and the fact that the order can vary significantly in duration means that it is not possible to provide a realistic average daily cost.

Economy

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for economic growth over the course of the current spending review period and what progress has been made towards achieving those targets in each quarter since June 2007.

John Swinney: The top priority of the Scottish Government is increasing sustainable economic growth. In achieving this priority we must address the long-term structural gap between GDP growth performance in Scotland, and both the UK, and the small independent EU countries. The Government Economic Strategy (GES) therefore established two ambitious economic (GDP) growth targets for Scotland. The long-term target is "to match the GDP growth rate of the small independent EU countries by 2017". The intermediate target is "to raise Scotland’s GDP growth rate to the UK level by 2011."

  In the following table annual growth rates to each quarter are presented for Scotland, the UK, and the small independent EU countries over the period 2007 Q3 to 2008 Q2.

  Table 1: Annual GDP growth rates, 2007 Q3 to 2008 Q2

  

 
 Annual GDP Growth (4 Quarters on 4 Quarters)


 Scotland
 United Kingdom
 Small EU Countries


 2007 Q3
 2.0%
 3.0%
 3.4%


 2007 Q4
 1.8%
 3.0%
 3.2%


 2008 Q1
 1.9%
 2.8%
 2.5%


 2008 Q2
 1.8%
 2.5%
 2.0%



  Source: Scottish Government, ONS, and OECD.

Economy

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set in relation to the First Minister’s commitment to "building an economy that is the envy of Europe" and to turning Scotland into a "Celtic lion" economy as outlined in a speech at Harvard University on 31 March 2008, and how success in this area will be measured.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government has defined its purpose as increasing sustainable economic growth. The purpose lies at the heart of the economic aspirations for Scotland in the First Minister’s speech to Harvard University. A set of seven targets to measure success in delivering the purpose has been set out in the Government Economic Strategy .

Economy

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9184 by John Swinney on 19 February 2008, what public expenditure is as a percentage of gross domestic product.

John Swinney: The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) publication, published in June 2008, contains three estimates of the public expenditure to GDP ratio for Scotland in 2006-07. The estimates are 49.9% GDP excluding North Sea revenue, 48.8% GDP if a per capita share of North Sea revenue is included or 41.3% GDP when a geographical share of North Sea revenue is included.

Economy

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9185 by John Swinney on 19 February 2008, for what reason the January 2009 edition of the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser’s Economic Pocket Databank does not contain figures for public expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product.

John Swinney: The Economic Pocket Databank presents the latest information on the performance of the Scottish economy, along with a selection of comparator economies. Statistics on Scottish public expenditure as a percentage of GDP are released separately in the Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland publication.

Farming

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new farmers have entered the farming industry under the new entrants scheme.

Richard Lochhead: The New Entrants measure (known formally as the Setting up of Young Farmers-Interest Rate Relief option) is one of a range of measures under the Scotland Rural Development Programme aimed at supporting new and young farmers. It is still early days in the life of these measures, but 33 applications for New and Young Farmers support, including eight for the Setting up of Young Farmers option, have so far been approved.

Fish

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what research was commissioned on fishing gear in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008 and what conclusions were reached.

Richard Lochhead: In the period 2005-08, short-term pieces of gear related research were carried out on the following subjects:

  2004-05

  The selectivity of commercial fishing gears (including work on predictive models of selectivity).

  Nephrops selectivity trials on the west coast using large meshes (90-120mm).

  Selectivity of cod ends used by the under 10m fleet.

  Seasonal variation in unaccounted mortality.

  2005-06

  Comparison of single and multiple rig trawls.

  The selectivity of whitefish trawls.

  2006-07

  Selectivity work in Nephrops mixed fisheries, particularly cod selectivity.

  Selectivity work in whitefish mixed fisheries, particularly cod selectivity.

  2007-08

  Selectivity work in Nephrops mixed fisheries, particularly cod selectivity.

  Selectivity work in whitefish mixed fisheries, particularly cod selectivity.

  In the period 2005-08, the strategic gear-related research projects were:

  

 2000-05
 Quantification of trawl survey gear properties


 2003-06
 Technical solutions to mixed fishery problems


 2005-08
 Quantification of survey gear selectivity and application to abundance estimation of key commercial species (specifically anglerfish)


 2006-09
 Quantification of the physical, environmental and ecological impact of towed demersal fishing gears (including demersal gears and scallop dredges)



  Since 2007 when the Scottish Industry Science Partnership (SISP) commenced, their gear related projects have been:

  Catching performance of the GOV survey trawl

  Effectiveness of separator grids in the mackerel fishery (research carried out by the NAFC Marine Centre)

  Review of technical measures for Scottish mixed fisheries

  Selectivity of North Sea Nephrops gear using 110-120mm square mesh panels

  Selectivity of Nephrops gear using square mesh panels (SMPs) on small vessels on North Sea inshore grounds

  Effect on selectivity of different mesh sizes and positions of square mesh panels for vessels of large and small horsepower

  Cod avoidance using large meshes in the lower wings and belly of a whitefish trawl.

  Conclusions

  Summaries of research conclusions are reproduced on the Fisheries Research Services website (www.frs-scotland.gov.uk), along with downloadable copies of papers, reports and leaflets. Annual research highlights are included in the FRS Annual Reports and Accounts available on this site.

Fish

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times ministers have met with fishing co-operatives since 17 May 2007, broken down by (a) date and (b) co-operative.

Richard Lochhead: The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47390).

Fish

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to reinstate wild sea trout populations in areas where they have declined.

Richard Lochhead: Responsibility for the management of wild sea trout populations lies with District Salmon Fishery Boards and we in government are working with these boards, and local fishery trusts to protect and promote these populations. We are also funding research into the numbers of sea trout and the reasons for their decline through Fisheries Research Services.

Fish

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Russian Government having lifted its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish, what level of exports to Russia can be expected by Scottish fish processors.

Richard Lochhead: Figures obtained from the Sea Fish Industry Authority show that in 2007 the UK exported over 48,000 tonnes of pelagic fish, worth in excess of £42 million to Russia. The majority of these exports came from Scotland.

Fish

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it had with the Russian Government ahead of the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish.

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings it had with the Russian Government ahead of the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish.

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which minister led discussions with the Russian Government ahead of the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish.

Richard Lochhead: There were numerous discussions with the Russian Government from April 2008 to lift the restriction. The First Minister met the Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom on a number of occasions and discussed the ban. The Minister for the Environment met the Russian Deputy Ambassador to the European Union in April 2008. Scottish Government and Scottish Development International officials have been in direct and constant contact with the Russian Consul General in Edinburgh and directly with the Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service in Moscow.

Food Safety

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much local authorities spent on public analysts working on food quality and safety in each year since 1995.

Shona Robison: The following table shows provisional outturn net revenue expenditure by local authorities on public analysts from 1996-97 to 2007-08. The Scottish Government does not hold final outturn data confirming these figures. The table does not include figures for 1995-96, which was prior to local government reorganisation and the creation of the current 32 unitary authorities.

  Public Analyst Provisional Net Revenue Expenditure

  

 
£000


 1996-97
 2,058


 1997-98
 1,689


 1998-99
 1,689


 1999-00
 1,957


 2000-01
 1,007


 2001-02
 1,948


 2002-03
 3,692


 2003-04
 4,079


 2004-05
 3,933


 2005-06
 4,140


 2006-07
 4,344


 2007-08
 4,493



  Source: As reported by local authorities in Provisional Outturn Budget Estimate (POBE) returns.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of (a) recent publications suggesting ribotype 027 may not be more toxic that other ribotypes, (b) the likelihood of ribotype 078 emerging and (c) a need to have a national and regional picture of ribotypes and antibiotic resistance, when it intends to amend the guidance of November 2007 with regard to what isolates of Clostridium difficile should be typed.

Nicola Sturgeon: Health Protection Scotland (HPS) issued revised guidance to diagnostic laboratories in November 2008 which requires labs to provide a proportionate number of isolates of all Clostridium difficile cases received in addition to those submitted for routine typing. This exercise began on 5 January 2009 and will allow Health Protection Scotland to build a picture of ribotype distribution and antibiotic resistance in Scotland.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor standards of hygiene and infection control in primary care.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19831 on 23 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

  In addition, NHS Quality improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) is developing an assessment tool and plans to review all NHS boards against the Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Standards in 2009-10. As an interim measure, NHS boards were directed by the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland on 27 June 2008 to carry out self assessments against the standards.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to require primary care practices to meet the same standards of hygiene and infection control as those required in secondary care.

Nicola Sturgeon: The revised NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Standards are applied to all health care settings to assess both organisational structures and practical delivery of HAI policies.

Higher Education

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the student drop-out rate was for each university in the 2007-08 academic year.

Fiona Hyslop: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) annually publishes higher education performance indicators for all higher education institutions in the UK, including estimates of non-continuation rates. The most recently published performance indicators relate to the academic year 2004-05 and 2005-06.

  HESA’s non-continuation performance indicators can be found at:

  http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1178/141/.

Housing

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how its work on the Getting Fit for the Future programme took account of the current and projected need for accessible housing and what is being done to meet this need.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Getting Fit for the Future programme centred on the modernisation and sustainability of health care service delivery in the Borders. The need for community care housing and the best way of meeting this can only properly be addressed at local level. I have been advised by NHS Borders that the current and projected need for accessible housing was not an issue raised directly during the programme. However, NHS Borders works closely with their partners through joint planning and initiatives to support more people to lead independent lives in the community.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10903 by Fergus Ewing on 25 March 2008, (a) how the £200,000 allocated to tackle gang culture has been allocated and (b) where the money will be spent, broken down by local authority area.

Fergus Ewing: Following an application process 19 projects totalling £163,579 were successful in securing funding to deliver a range of diversionary and behavioural change activities with young men across Scotland who were known to the police as being involved in a gang. The successful projects were announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 14 April 2008 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/04/14095308 , - a full list of those projects is provided in the following table:

  

 Local Authority
 Area where Initiative to be Delivered
 Funding Amount
 Overview of Application


 Renfrewshire 
 Paisley and Renfrew
£6,400
 Based around the existing Hit the Beat music tour, partners intend to identify specific individuals to get involved in the production of the tour. Whilst there, individuals will participate in LEAP style workshops around gang violence


 Glasgow 
 Drumchapel, Knightswood, Scotstoun, Anderston
£5,250
 Building on the success of the Pathfinder project - an outward bounds programme for gang members - Pathfinder Plus aims to develop the exist programme through the introduction of specific gang/violence workshops - 3 separate Pathfinder programmes will be delivered


 Fife
 Buckhaven
£11,675
 Individuals will be targeted to produce and perform a drama production entitled A Culture of Violence. Once produced, the production will be performed at the two local high schools. During this time, workshops around violence and conflict will be delivered


 Glasgow 
 Barrhead / Pollok
£4,700
 Selected individuals will be identified to participate in a bespoke Firereach Programme and a series of outdoor personal development activities. During these programmes, behaviour workshops will be delivered around gang violence


 Glasgow 
 Pollok / Govan
£5,470
 Intensive Streetwork services will be provided over a 12 week period. Specially trained staff in conflict resolution and LEAP principles will seek to develop relations with identified individuals and deliver specially designed workshops


 Glasgow 
 Woodlands
£2,080
 The continuation of a relatively new initiative which is engaging with Asian youths, many of whom are on the fringes of group conflict. The initiative is delivered at the Fred Paton Centre and the additional funds will be used to extend the programme and incorporate LEAP workshops


 South Lanarkshire 
 Hamilton
£29,150
 This initiative will look to build on the relations formed by the local Campus Police officers in the 3 High schools and deliver a diverse range of interventions, based around football, coaching, drama and outdoor activities. Individuals from the 3 schools will be encouraged to work together on specially selected activities


 Fife
 Glenrothes
£5,100
 A wide range of diversionary activities (football and music) will be delivered each weekend and specifically targeted individuals will be identified to get involved in the organising. During this time, workshops around conflict and behaviour will be delivered


 Edinburgh 
 Leith
£10,736
 Partners have developed a programme of 12 workshops with identified individuals to address their behaviours and attitudes. Workshops will cover issues such as violence, alcohol, gangs and drugs and will encourage participation in training and employment through a ‘mentoring’ programme with local tradesmen


 West Lothian 
 West Lothian
£4,336
 Workshops with identified individuals will be delivered over 2 x 8 week periods to address issues such as violence, gang membership and alcohol misuse, seeking to encourage more positive behaviour 


 Edinburgh 
 Pentlands
£2,500
 Intensive week long programme entitled ‘The Bike Station’, in which individuals will be taught how to build a mountain bike from scratch. During the week, workshops around offending and violence will be delivered


 Edinburgh 
 Central Edinburgh
£4,600
 This initiative covers a range of interventions including a one-week programme entitled Cooldown Crew covering issues such as team work and developing confidence. Specific workshops around offending will also be delivered separately and will incorporate a visit to Saughton Prison to meet an existing prisoner


 Edinburgh 
 Roseburn
£5,110
 Intensive workshops delivered during a week’s residential course at the Broomlea facility in the Borders


 Stirling 
 Bannockburn
£15,000
 Intensive engagement with identified individuals and their families to address issues such as offending, violence and gang culture. Specific mediation workshops will also be delivered to address local territorialism issues


 Glasgow 
 Sighthill/ Springburn
£15,510
 Building on the success of Operation Reclaim, the intervention aims to engage with 120 identified individuals over a 6 month period and deliver intensive workshops around violence and gangs. High profile individuals from the football world will be participating in the initiative as positive role models


 Glasgow 
 Easterhouse
£16,269
 Intensive 6 week programme will be delivered covering a range of initiatives such as football, outdoor activity and drama sessions. Workshops on violence and gangs will be incorporated into each session


 Clackmann-anshire 
 Clackmann-anshire
£5,370
 Intensive workshops will be delivered to address issues such as offending and violence. Restorative Circles will be used to address underlying issues and encourage people to engage in the process


 Highland 
 Pan Highlands initiative
£13,727
 Following the delivery of a pan-highland football league, selected individuals will be identified to attend a residential weekend (4x weekend will be delivered). During this time, a range of issues will be addressed, including offending behaviour


 Aberdeen 
 Garthdee 
£596
 Workshops will be delivered with identified individuals to address issues such as offending and violence


Total 
 
£163,579

Less Favoured Areas

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps were taken by Scottish Government officials to bring forward Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payments before the end of 2008.

Richard Lochhead: Payments of LFASS 2008 were made into bank accounts from 16 January, some three weeks earlier than last year. Over 11,000 payments worth £52 million, or 85% of the budget, had been made by 26 January.

  Steps taken to achieve the issue of these payments included:

  Prioritisation of inspection field work and redeployment of resource as appropriate, to ensure that the EC legislative requirement to complete the inspection process before starting LFASS payments, was met as quickly as possible.

  Liaison with SFPS (Single Farm Payment Scheme) colleagues to ensure that LFASS development work did not adversely impact on the release of SFPS aid.

  Detailed testing of the complex IT systems that underpin LFASS payments, by the dedicated LFASS teams and others.

  Continual monitoring of essential changes to the IT processes to ensure that decisions were made and resources allocated appropriately.

  In addition, I took a keen personal interest in the issue of the LFASS payments and received regular reports on their progress.

Less Favoured Areas

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has taken on the possibility of making the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payment and the single farm payment at the same time.

Richard Lochhead: Officials are looking at the feasibility of making LFASS and SFPS (Single Farm Payment Scheme) payments at the same time. This is an operational issue, although there is a need to ensure that the different legislative requirements are met. We will seek the advice of key stakeholders once we have identified the risks and benefits of such an approach.

Less Favoured Areas

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there is any legal impediment to making the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payment and the single farm payment in the same year.

Richard Lochhead: Under the existing legislation there is no legal barrier to making LFASS and SFPS (Single Farm Payment Scheme) payments in the same year. However, they each have eligibility criteria that must be met before payments can issue. This is a legal requirement.

Less Favoured Areas

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make an announcement on the outcome of any investigation into making the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payment and the single farm payment at the same time and, if so, when.

Richard Lochhead: I will be making an announcement about our strategy for LFASS and SFPS (Single Farm Payment Scheme) payments and aim to do so in due course.

Livestock

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the take-up of the bluetongue vaccine has been.

Richard Lochhead: Veterinary practices are providing the Scottish Government with information on their sales of bluetongue vaccine to animal keepers. From the information provided up to 20 January, 1.8 million doses have been dispensed and 28% of cattle and sheep holdings have obtained vaccine. Cattle and sheep keepers have until 30 April to vaccinate their animals.

Livestock

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the take-up of the bluetongue vaccine in England, broken down by region.

Richard Lochhead: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have kept the Scottish Government informed on the take up of vaccine across England. These figures are subject to continual change and the Scottish Government does not routinely receive updates beyond the information published by Defra. This can be found at:

  http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/control/vaccination/index.htm.

Local Government

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates and locations of meetings and discussions that it has had with the leadership of the majority party in North Lanarkshire Council.

John Swinney: Meetings and discussions take place from time-to-time between the Scottish Government and the leadership of the majority party in North Lanarkshire Council. Recent examples include:

  A meeting with the Leader and Deputy Leader of North Lanarkshire Council on 28 July 2008 in North Lanarkshire, and

  A series of meetings involving the Leader of North Lanarkshire Council and leaders and elected members from other councils in Edinburgh on 26 November 2008, 17 December 2008 and 15 January 2009.

Local Government Finance

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has with regard to any funding applications made by Scottish local authorities, or connected bodies, to the Public Works Loan Board since May 2007 and the outcome of any such applications.

John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the proposed merger of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, the Care Commission and the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is being progressed.

Shona Robison: The proposal to establish two new scrutiny bodies covering health, mental welfare, care and social work was announced as part of the package of scrutiny changes by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on 6 November. The legislative provisions for the new bodies will be taken forward in the Public Services Reform Bill which will be introduced in Parliament in the spring.

  A project team has been set up within Scottish Government to take forward the work required to establish the two new bodies. As part of the project an engagement and consultation process has been established. That process is underway and includes a number of focus groups and stakeholder events. This will enable the views of both internal and external stakeholders, including the bodies affected, to be considered as the legislative proposals are developed.

NHS Hospitals

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many car owners from households below the poverty line have benefited from the policy on free car parking at hospitals.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) nurses and allied health professionals and (b) doctors travelled to prisons to see or treat patients in 2007-08.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. A wide range of NHS health professionals, including forensic psychiatrists, physicians, specialist nurses and therapists visit prisons on a regular basis to treat patients.

NHS Staff

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Scotland has estimated the cost of staff travelling to prisons to treat patients.

Nicola Sturgeon: No estimate has been made. Travel costs for health service visits to prisons are not identified separately by NHS boards.

Procurement

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accounts submitted to it by contractors had not been settled within a 10-day period as at 10 December 2008, also expressed as a percentage of the transactions paid within that period.

John Swinney: Between 11 November and 10 December, the Scottish Government paid 9,897 transactions within 10 working days. This equates to approximately 61% of transactions paid within the period.

  The Scottish Government has established a monitoring process which produces figures on a monthly basis, by calendar month. The latest figures for the calendar month of December 2008 are that 12,032 transactions were paid within 10 working days, equating to 84% of transactions paid within the month.

Procurement

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accounts submitted to it by contractors had not been settled within a 10-day period as at 10 January 2009, also expressed as a percentage of the transactions paid within that period.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government monitor payment performance on a monthly basis and information is collated by calendar month. During the month of December 2008, the Scottish Government paid 12,032 transactions within 10 working days. This equates to approximately 84% of transactions paid within the period.

Public Bodies

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the names of the public bodies that have chairs who are also serving councillors, also showing the names of such chairs.

John Swinney: The details, including the occupations and any declared political activity, of all public appointees on the boards of OCPAS regulated public bodies are shown on the Public Bodies Directory pages in the Scottish Government website. The link to the directory is:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/directory.

Rural Development

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the terms of reference are for its review of the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP).

Richard Lochhead: I will be meeting with the Scotland Rural Development Programme’s Monitoring Committee on 29 January 2009 to discuss the review. I will be asking them to come to that meeting prepared with preliminary views on how to improve both the effectives of the SRDP and the process by which Rural Priorities is delivered. I will announce greater detail on the review at that point.

Rural Development

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the terms of reference for its review of the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

Richard Lochhead: I will publish the details of the review when I meet with the Scotland Rural Development Programme’s Monitoring Committee on 29 January 2009, as referred to in my answer to the previous question.

Rural Development

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been (a) made and (b) granted under the Scotland Rural Development Plan invasive non-native species option in (i) Argyll and Bute and (ii) the rest of Scotland in each year since this option has existed.

Richard Lochhead: The Control of Non-Native Species Option appears under Rural Priorities, one of the eight delivery mechanisms of the Scotland Rural Development Programme. In the first nine months of applications, four applications have been received that include the Control of Non-Native Species Option and all four of these have been approved. All those applications were within 2008. None of the applications or approvals originated from Argyll.

Rural Development

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18811 by Liam McArthur on 8 January 2009, which recommendations in A review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland it has not accepted and what the reasons were.

Richard Lochhead: I accepted 16 of the 17 recommendations contained in the Report, A review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland .

  The one recommendation I was not persuaded by was the creation of a farm liaison team made up of government and industry representatives.

  I accepted the principle behind the recommendation but rather than incur additional expense by setting up a new team I have agreed that the current procedures for assisting farmers should be enhanced. I shall put a number of measures in place, including increased attendance by officials at local shows, to help the agricultural community deal with the potential difficulties they face.

Scottish Futures Trust

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what further progress has been made in taking forward the development of the Scottish Futures Trust.

John Swinney: I shall be announcing today the appointment of the two remaining Non-Executive Directors to the Board of Scottish Futures Trust: Graeme Bissett, a member of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, Finance Director at tie Ltd and a Member of the Court of Heriot-Watt University, and Fiona Mackenzie, Chief Executive of NHS Forth Valley.

Scottish Government Communications

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs have been of employing its Communications Officers since May 2007.

John Swinney: The total employment costs, (which includes staffing and associated running costs), for Communications Officers employed in the Scottish Government Communications Directorate over the period 1 May 2007 to 31 December 2008 are £4,106,157.

  Comparative figures for the period 1 May 2006 to 31 December 2007 are £4,327,904.

Scottish Government Finance

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of savings in the Scottish budget as a result of reductions in the official Bank Rate in 2008-09.

John Swinney: There are no savings because the Scottish Government does not have powers to borrow, and there is therefore no budget line devoted to debt repayment.

Scottish Government Finance

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the items in the draft 2009-10 budget that are non-discretionary, the value of each and what percentage of the total budget these represent.

John Swinney: Scottish ministers have full discretion over the spending priorities of the Scottish Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) budgets as agreed with HM Treasury and detailed in Paragraph 2.7(1) of Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy .

Scottish Government Staff

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19056 by John Swinney on 6 January 2009, what the cost was of early retirement for employees in the Scottish Government Main in each year between 2005 and 2008.

John Swinney: The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47410).

Single Outcome Agreements

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what decisions are made on the basis of single outcome agreement outcomes and targets.

John Swinney: A single outcome agreement (SOA) is the means by which Community Planning Partnerships agree their strategic priorities, either individually or jointly, while showing how those outcomes should contribute to the Scottish Government’s relevant National Outcomes. Monitoring against targets and indicators in the SOA will therefore drive a range of decisions at local and national level to support delivery of the agreed outcomes.

Small Businesses

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards turning Scotland into a "Celtic lion" economy, described by the First Minister in a speech at Harvard University on 31 March 2008 as the "defining mission" of the Scottish Government, and what contribution the Small Business Bonus Scheme will make in this area.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government has defined its purpose as increasing sustainable economic growth. Progress is being made through implementation of the Government Economic Strategy , which set out seven targets to measure success in delivering the Purpose.

  The Small Business Bonus Scheme contributes to the purpose by removing or reducing business rates as part of our drive to create an environment in which small businesses can flourish, underpinned by a fair taxation system. By cutting overheads and enabling them to invest more, the scheme is helping to sustain tens of thousands of small businesses.

Small Businesses

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards achieving the First Minister’s commitment to "building an economy that is the envy of Europe", as outlined in a speech at Harvard University on 31 March 2008, and what contribution the Small Business Bonus Scheme will make in this area.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government has defined its purpose as increasing sustainable economic growth. Progress is being made through implementation of the Government Economic Strategy , which set out seven targets to measure success in delivering the purpose.

  The Small Business Bonus Scheme contributes to the purpose by removing or reducing business rates as part of our drive to create an environment in which small businesses can flourish, underpinned by a fair taxation system. By cutting overheads and enabling them to invest more, the scheme is helping to sustain tens of thousands of small businesses.

Student Finance

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19180 by Fiona Hyslop on 15 January 2009, at which year the Student Income, Expenditure and Debt survey will look.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Survey of Income, Expenditure and Debt 2007-08 will provide data for Scottish domiciled students for the academic year 2007-08.

Students

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of graduates from universities and colleges in the Lothians region entered full-time employment within (a) six and (b) 12 months of graduating in each of the last five years, broken down by university and college.

Fiona Hyslop: There are seven higher education institutions in the Lothians region (including the Scottish campus of Open University) and six Scottish colleges, detailed below.

  Information on graduate destinations 12 months after graduating is not held centrally.

  With respect to the seven HEIs in the Lothians region details six months after graduating are as follows:

  Table 1. Percentage (%) of higher education qualifiers from higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Lothians in full-time employment six months after qualifying by institution and academic year: 2002-03 to 2006-07:

  

 Institution
 Academic Year


 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06
 2006-07


 All Lothians HEIs
 43
 34
 40
 49
 51


 Edinburgh College of Art
 46
 38
 31
 50
 54


 Heriot-Watt University
 63
 60
 63
 62
 65


 Napier University
 57
 56
 59
 61
 61


 The Open University
 51
 43
 43
 43
 47


 Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
 68
 65
 68
 64
 68


 Scottish Agricultural College
 24
 31
 39
 22
 32


 The University of Edinburgh
 55
 56
 58
 61
 60


Response rate†
75
75
76
77
76



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey.

  Notes:

  Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Zero, one, two have been rounded to zero.

  Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.

  † Overall response rate reported by HESA for each year of the DLHE survey.

  Information on graduate destinations six months after graduating from Scottish colleges is only available for those who studied full-time courses. No information is collected on whether employment is full-time or part-time. The table below shows the proportion of graduates in any type of employment.

  Table 2. Percentage (%) of full-time higher education qualifiers from Scottish colleges in the Lothians in employment six months after qualifying by institution and academic year: 2002-03 to 2006-07:

  

 Institution
 Academic Year


 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06
 2006-07


 All Lothian Colleges
 49
 33
 40
 36
 32


 Edinburgh’s Telford College
 46
 27
 46
 44
 40


 Jewel and Esk College
 51
 41
 45
 43
 35


 Newbattle Abbey College
 -
 -
 26
 7
 -


 Oatridge College
 56
 47
 61
 35
 10


 Stevenson College Edinburgh
 47
 9
 19
 27
 23


 West Lothian College
 41
 44
 48
 25
 70


Response rate†
59
60
56
58
56



  Source: Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) First Destinations of Graduates (FDG) survey.

  Notes:

  Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Zero, one, two have been rounded to zero.

  Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.

  † Overall response rate of FDG survey.

Teachers

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16622 by Maureen Watt on 24 October 2008, whether it can confirm the exact date on which the teachers census will be published.

Maureen Watt: No. The date of publication will be announced on the government website next month. The latest information on all forthcoming statistical publications can be found each month using the following link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Search/Forthcoming .

Teachers

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address any shortage of science teachers in schools.

Maureen Watt: The most recent survey of teacher vacancies does not indicate a significant shortage of science teachers in Scottish schools. It shows that there were five vacancies for biology teachers, eight for chemistry teachers, two for general science teachers and five for physics teachers; of which three, two, zero and two respectively had been vacant for more than three months. These vacancy numbers represent only 0.06% of the total number of science teachers in Scottish schools.

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/17090110/0.

  We do know, however, that some local authorities experience difficulty from time to time recruiting teachers to particular posts in particular schools. This will be born in mind in our continuing promotion of the teaching profession, for example at career and recruitment fairs, and in research we will be commissioning shortly into what might persuade teachers to move to teach in more remote parts of Scotland.

Vaccinations

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people most at risk in the south of Scotland received flu vaccinations in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The percentage of people most at risk in Scotland who received flu vaccination in each of the last three years is set out in the following table. Information is provided broken down by all NHS board areas and for those aged 65 and over (over 65s) as well as for those under the age of 65 who are at risk due to certain long-term medical conditions (at risk). Figures reflect uptake of flu vaccine to the end of December each year:

  

 Health Board
2006-07
 2007-08
 2008-09


 Over 65s
 At Risk
 Over 65s
 At Risk
 Over 65s
 At Risk


 Ayrshire and Arran
 67.8%
 35.6%
 70%
 41.1%
 72.3%
 43.8%


 Borders
 67.3%
 34.5%
 67.7%
 49.4 %
 76.2 %
 49.6%


 Dumfries and Galloway
 63.9%
 35.6%
 68.4%
 41.3%
 71.3%
 43.5%


 Fife
 71%
 37.8%
 58.8%
 41.5%
 73%
 41.2%


 Forth Valley
 69.7%
 41.4%
 72.6%
 49.2%
 73.6%
 48.4%


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 65.1%
 34.5%
 63.6%
 44.4%
 72.1%
 44.4%


 Grampian
 64.6%
 41.2%
 69.5%
 43%
 71.7%
 43.7%


 Highland
 61.3%
 31.3%
 63.9%
 43.6%
 69.2%
 43.2%


 Lanarkshire
 64.8%
 34.6%
 67%
 39.8%
 68.5%
 45.2%


 Lothian
 66%
 32.2%
 70.5%
 42.6%
 74.5%
 45%


 Orkney
 76.9%
 67.5%
 75.5%
 53.1%
 77.3%
 58.6%


 Shetland
 66.6%
 36.4%
 68%
 49.1%
 73.6%
 44%


 Tayside
 66.4%
 34.5%
 63.6%
 42.6%
 63.2%
 38.1%


 Western Isles
 53.1%
 41.1%
 57.1%
 41.9%
 56.9%
 35.5%


 Scotland
 65.9%
 35.3%
 67%
 42.9%
 71.3%
 44%

Wheelchairs

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made toward finalising a wheelchair and seating service modernisation action plan.

Shona Robison: The NHS Wheelchair and Seating Services Modernisation: An Action Plan has been approved by ministers and will be published shortly.